The DALE Foundation, the official affiliate of the Dental Assisting National Board, Inc. (DANB), has announced the winners of the 2017 Liz Koch Memorial Scholarship. This year’s recipients are dedicated dental professionals who recognize the importance of lifelong learning and look forward to embracing new challenges in this ever-evolving field.
The scholarship was open to all dental assistants, DANB certificants, and other oral health-care professionals. After receiving 92 applications, the Liz Koch Memorial Scholarship Committee selected four winners for this prestigious scholarship, which helps oral health-care professionals pursue professional development and support their mentorship activities.
2017 Liz Koch Memorial Scholarship winners
Tajuana L. Barnes, CDA, of Memphis, Tennessee, is a dental assistant at Christ Community Health Service in Memphis. She plans to use her scholarship to complete a restorative functions course at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Dentistry and then enroll in an expanded prosthetic functions course. She also plans to earn additional DANB certifications in the future.
Elizabeth Justice, CDA, of Westover, Maryland, earned DANB certification in 2013. After graduating with an associate of science degree from Wor-Wic Community College in Salisbury, Maryland, she went on to work as a full-time dental assistant with the oral surgery office of Lynn F. Ascher, DMD. Justice plans to use her scholarship to fund summer classes and textbooks at Salisbury University, where she is pursuing her bachelor’s degree in community health education.
Elizabeth Ledford, of Cottonwood, Arizona, is a dental assisting student at Rio Salado College in Tempe, Arizona. Upon graduation, she plans to use her scholarship to volunteer abroad in 2018 as a dental assistant with Global Health Outreach to mentor local health-care workers and provide comprehensive dental care to the underserved. Ledford also plans to apply the funds to earn DANB certification, as well as complete additional continuing education.
Rebecca Santiago, CDA, of Cameron, North Carolina, has held DANB certification for the past 14 years and is currently employed with the US Army. Santiago plans to use her scholarship toward tuition and textbooks at Sandhills Community College in Pinehurst, North Carolina, where she is pursuing a degree in business administration, with the goal of one day managing a dental practice.
These winners will receive between $250 and $1,000 and three products of their choice from the DALE Foundation.
Additionally, the scholarship committee has selected four finalists:
• Aricka Acquistapace
• Melissa Carter, CDA
• Ann Marie Love, CDA
• Chelsea Mellinger
These four finalists each will receive a DALE Foundation goodie bag and one DALE Foundation product of their choice.
The DALE Foundation launched the Liz Koch Memorial Scholarship in 2014 to honor the late Liz Koch, who served as Chief Operating Officer of DANB and the DALE Foundation before her untimely passing in 2011. This memorial scholarship commemorates her many years of service to dental assisting and embodies her belief in the power of lifelong learning.
Information about the 2018 Liz Koch Memorial Scholarship will be available in spring 2018. Individuals and organizations interested in donating to the Liz Koch Memorial Scholarship can donate online or mail checks to the DALE Foundation, 444 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 970, Chicago, IL 60611. Your contribution directly supports dental assistants and other oral healthcare professionals.
Visit the DALE Foundation’s website for information about the Liz Koch Memorial Scholarship.
